Railway truck



Abg. 23, 1938.

RAILWAY 'rncx Filed April `2'0, 1935 .2 sheets-sum1 r. Y ze E @Mm mw m NM. H I mi W H Aug. 23, 1938. yl-l.. M. PFLAGER RAILWAY TRUCK Filed April 20, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ZN VEA/TOE Harig M P//yen the-truck frame but gives the hanger a -iloating- A further object of this invention isl to pro- Patented Aug. 23, 1 938' l i UNITED STATES PAT-ENT" OFFICE RAILWAY TRUCK Harry M. Pager, St. Louis, Mo., assigner to General Steel Castings Corporation, Granite City, lll., a corporation of Delaware Application April zo, 1935, serial No. 11,415 14 claims. (ci. 10s-19o) This invention relates to trucks for' railway mitted from the track, also absorb some of the rolling stock and particularly to trucks for light lighter lateral thrusts. especially those thrusts weight cars intended for high speed trains: due to the irregularity of the track and the rail Trucks intended for passenger car service have joints, thus causing the truck frame to Jiggle heretofore generally embodied holsters carried from side to side as the forward wheels of the 6 by means of leaf springs supported by hangers truck reach ilrst one irregularity in the track and swinging directly from the truck framing, which then' another. i

framing is yleldingly supported by means of coil 'With the construction heretofore used, the

' springs either placed on top of the journal boxes swing hangers are inclined from the vertical to 1o or on equalizers extending from one journalbox create initial resistance to lateral movement; l0 to the other. and the forces due to the jiggling of the truck Trains are now being built which are of lighter frame' on straight track are transmitted to the body v construction and intended for travel at .body of the car as they are not of suillcient maghigher speeds than customary heretofore. The nitude to cause the inclined swing hangers to 15 relative light weight of the body compared with yovercome initial resistance, while in this inven- 15 the weight of the trucks, including wheels and tion such forces will be absorbed in the natural axles, to which must be added in many cases the lateral exibility ot the oating hanger yielding weight of the motors, gives amuch diilerentratio elements which have a limited side motion. between-the weight ofthe car body and the When the car travels athigh speed and strikes weight of the trucksthan in the ordinary c'ar a curved section of the track, the swing hangers 20 used in the past, and this introduces new operthen come into operation oifering increasing reating conditions which require a truck adapted sistance to the side motion of the car and abto meetthese new conditions. v sorbing the lateral thrusts of the car body.

.The object of the present invention is to con- Ihe yielding elements supporting the swing 2,5 struct a. truck for light weight cars that will hangers add a new and improved feature to the produce the best riding qualities at high speeds. truck construction', as they not only absorb and This is accomplished by providing yielding elereduce the vertical shocks delivered to the car `ments between the journal boxes and truck frame body by the track, but act also to steady the car or between the equalizers and the truck frame, body on straight track and help the swing so' to absorb as far as possible the primary shocks hangers absorb 'severe lateral shocks whenround- 80 from the track to the truck frame, and prof ing curves, thus producing smooth and easy ridl--viding in addition a secondary setvof yielding t ving of the'car.

elements of-dii'ferent characteristics, mounted in Thelighter the weight of the car body, as the truck frame. 'Swing hangersv are suspended compared with'the truck, the is the tendfrom these secondary yielding elements, and ency to 'transmit the forces. set up by the iig- 'at other yielding elements are supported by the gling ot the truck, to the car'body and cause swing hangers, and the truck bolster, which carunpleasant vibrations. This tendency is over ries the load'of the c'ar. is carried by the latter come in my invention by the use of the iioating i yielding elements. This arrangement provides a hanger yielding elements which support the in- 0' very' simple mounting vof the swing hanger on clined swing hangers.

movement in addition to its usual Upivotal movevide a truck with cross transoms so arranged ment. y 'that the floating hanger yieldingelements can The secondary set 'of yielding elements, which. be placed inthem in the same 'general transverse a' for the purpose of thisdescription, are called the plane occupied by the swing hangers. thus econ- 45 iloatlng hanger'springs lor yielding elements, reomizing in the length ot thewheelbase of the `ceive the shocks and-vibrations that are transf' :truck and simplifying the construction thereof. mitted by the truck frame and reduce them. be- These objects and others Aare attained by the.

. tore the `shocks pass into the swing hangers and structures illustrated in the-accompanying drawmthrough` lthe yielding elements carried by the ings, in v I 50 hangers, 'which latter elements absorb further, Figure l is a top view of a truck embodying portions of the shocks which have passed through the invention. the first two mentioned sets of yielding'elements. Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken oating hanger yielding elements. in on the line 2-2 of Figure '1.

Fadditiontoabsorbingtheverticalshockstranse `liig'mesandtarevertical-transversesec-gs tions taken on the corresponding section lines of Figure 1.

Figures 5. 6, and I are detail views corresponding, respectively, to Figures l, 2, and 4 but showing a modification. g

The truck illustrated in Figures 1 tod includes a pair of axles I having Journals and Journal boxes 2. Resting on each journal box 2 are yokes 3 having end portions 4 terminating a short distance longitudinally in each direction from the box. Secured to the portions 4 of the yokes are spring seats 5, carrying coiled springs C engaging spring cap structures 'l formed on the undersurfaces of the truck side frame members or wheel pieces generally indicated at I.

The wheel pieces I include pedestals I slidably receiving the journal boxes 2, and the wheel pieces on opposite sides of the truck are rigidly tied together by means oi transom structures generally indicated at i0. Each transom structure includes spaced elements i9 and a transverse bottom web il having spring seats i2 adjacent each wheel piece. Resting on the seats i2 are coiled springs Il supporting transverse mem# bers I4 extending between the springs on opposite sides o! the truck to maintain the centers of the springs at an equal distance from each other. At each end of each member i4 is the i'iattened spring cap portion i5 having a concave bearing II pivotally mounting the cross bar Vof an inverted U-shaped floating hanger Il.

The legs of hangers Il depend through slots in the transom bottom member il.

'I'he hangers Il have slots 2i in the lower portions of their legs, receiving the end portions of bars 22. The middle portions of bars 22 engage the ends 22 of the spring plank 24 which carries the elliptic springs 25 mounting the main bolster 28 in the usual manner, the spring bands 26 being seated between the lugs 21 on the spring plank and the lugs 20 on the bolster. Bolster 2l has the usual side bearing mountings 30 and cen- .ter bearing portion 2| for cooperating with the body side and center bearings (not shown).

Wear plates 32 are provided on adjacent surfaces of the bolster and transoms.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a modification in which .the transom and transverse member 34 have laterally spaced recesses for the coil springs 4i, and the oating swing hanger 33 is a single link located intermediate springs 4| and extend,- ing through slots Il and 3l in members 34 and 4U, respectively. The link is suspended by a pin 3i bridging the slot 3l in the spring cap and the link carries the spring plank cross bar ll in the usual manner.

This structure operates substantially the same as the form illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 which functions as follows: the truck load is transmitted from the bolster 2l to the journal boxes through the three sets of springs 2l, i2 and I. 'When the vehicle enters a curved section of the track, or is submitted to other lateral forces, the transverse members I4 move slightly laterally due to the lateral yielding of springs i3. This lateral movement is limited by contact between the extremity of the members I4 and the wall I1 on the I wheel pieces. After this lateral movement of members I4, the bolster and spring plank swing laterally with hangers il and this movement absorbs the balance of the shock due to the rising arc of the hangers.

Ihe slight lateral shocks produced by track irregularities on straight track are delivered to the truck frame and absorbed by the lateral yielding of springs i3 and thus are not carried into the car body, and such absorption is not dependent upon overcoming resistance intentionally providedby swing hangers.

'Ihe improved truck has a super-spring arrangement which produces easier riding qualities than the usual passenger truck and is arranged to dissipate severe lateral as well as vertical shocks. Due to the-different characteristics of the various springs. each has a dampening effect upon the others, and this effect, together with the other results obtained, produces a smooth and easing riding truck.

'Although the forms of the invention described above and illustrated include transverse members with a spring cap at each end riding on the coiled springs and rigidly spacing the upper ends of opposite hangers from each other, it is noted that the caps for the floating hangers may be disconnected or free of each other, thus increasing the independent action of opposite hangers.

The invention is not limited to the combination of coil and elliptic springs as referred to in the detail description, but any arrangement of yielding supports may be embodied in the invention including such modifications as pneumatic springs, or springs in the form of rubber blocks, or combinations of such springs with the more familiar coil and elliptic springs illustrated, and other details of the structure described may be modified in various respects without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use of all such modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

I claim:

l. In a railway truck, wheels, axles, journal boxes, a truck frame, springs supporting said truck frame from said journal boxes, members directly mounted on said truck frame constructed and arranged to yield vertically and horizontally, swing hangers supported by said members, a springplank carried by said swing hangers, springs supported by said spring plank, and a bolster supported by said latter springs.

2. In a railway truck, a truck frame including spaced cross transoms, springs supported directly 4by said transoms and constructed and arrangedj to yield vertically and horizontally, spring caps mounted on said springs, swing hangers carried by said spring caps, a spring plank carried by said swing hangers, and a bolster yieldably mounted on said spring plank.

3.,St ructure as specified in claim 2 in which the springs are mounted in recesses in said transoms.

4. In a railway truck, a truck frame including spaced cross transoms, springs supported directly by said transoms, spring caps mounted on said springs, swing hangers carried by said spring caps, a spring plank carried by said swing hangers, and a bolster yieldably mounted on said spring plank, said spring caps being connected by transverse members extending parallel to said transoms.

5. In a railway truck, wheels and axles, a frame yieldingly carried thereby, springs seated on said frame, spaced transverse members mounted directly on said springs,`swing hangers suspended from said members, and a bolster spring supported from said hangers, said firstmentioned springs yielding horizontally and vertically relative to said frame to provide corresponding movements of said members and the swing hangers and holsters supported thereby independently of movement of said frame.

springs carried by said hangers, and a bolsterA carried on said leaf springs.

7. In a railway truck, wheel pieces, spaced transom structures rigidly connecting said wheel pieces, springs mounted directly on said structures, transversey members iloating on said springs, swing hangers carried by said transverse members, and `a bolster carried by said hangers.

8. The combination of elements specified in.

'of said hangers depending through the associated projecting member, and a holst eldingly carried by said hangers, the hanger ounting portions of said springs being movable horizontally and vertically under the thrusts of forces transmitted between said bolster and said wheel pieces.

1li. In a railway truck, a truck frame, springs mounted directly on said truck frame, swing hangers mountedA on said springsand having floating horizontal yielding due to movement of the upper portions of said springs free of con tact with said frame, and a bolster carried by said hangers.

11. In a railway truck, wheels and axles, a frame mounted thereon and having stationary seats at opposite sides of the truck. springs mounted on said seats, a member extending from one of said springs to the other and carried thereby and movable transversely of the truck independently of said frame and seats by lateral yielding of said springs, swing hangers carried by said member, and a bolster carried by said hangers.

12. In a railway truck, a rigid frame, springsA seated directly on said frame atthe sides of the truck, a rigid member mounted on said springs and connecting a spring at one side of the truck with a spring at the other side of the truck, the member mounting portions of said springs being yieldable'horizontally of the truck withl movement of said member independentlyA of any vertical movement of said springs, devices carried independently of each other by said member at opposite sides of the truck and movable laterally of the truck on said member, and a bolster carried by said devices and movable therewith laterally of the truck relative to said member.

13. In a railway truck, wheels and axles, a main frame carried on said wheels and axles. springs seated on said frame, spaced transverse members mounted directly on said springs, swing hangerssuspended from said members, and a bolster carried on said hangers, said springs yielding horizontally and vertically independently of said frame to produce corresponding movement of said members independently of the movement of said frame, wheels and axles.

14. In a railway truck, wheels and ax1es,a rigid frame mounted thereon, coiled springs with their axes disposed vertically and having their lower portions seated at longitudinally spaced points on said frame, members mounted on the upper portions of said springs, swing hangers pivotally carried directly by said members, and a bolster carried 'by said hangers, the member supporting portions of said springs being laterally yielding and tree of restraint by said frame permitting lateral movement of said members to absorb lateral forces set up by the transverse jiggling oi the truck frame insufficient to move said hangers on their pivots and thereby prevent such forces being transmitted to the vehicle body.

HARRY M. PFLAGER. 

